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Thursday started off with awful news for the Dolphins in their search for a franchise quarterback, as USC junior Matt Barkley, rated by some as the No. 2 overall prospect in April’s draft, announced that he will instead return to school for his senior year.

But the Colts have given the Dolphins and several other teams around the league a glimmer of hope. Their last-second 19-16 win over Houston on Thursday night has suddenly opened the door for the Dolphins and anyone else to land mega-QB prospect Andrew Luck.

The Colts improved to 2-13 and no longer have a solid lock on the No. 1 overall pick after starting the year 0-13. If either the Rams or Vikings lose their final two games, and the Colts win at 4-10 Jacksonville next week, the Colts will fall out of the top spot and lose the right to draft Luck as the successor to Peyton Manning. But if the Colts lose next week, they automatically get the No. 1 pick, as they will beat the Rams and Vikings in the first tiebreaker (strength of schedule).

Dolphins fans would much rather St. Louis be the team to finish with the No. 1 overall pick. The Rams invested a No. 1 overall pick and $78 million in Sam Bradford two years ago, and would likely trade out of the pick instead of using it on Luck. And the Rams can definitely do it, finishing the season against Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The Dolphins, currently with the No. 7 pick, would certainly not be a lock to land Luck if the Rams get the first pick – it may cost a team three or perhaps four first-round picks to complete a trade – but at least they would have a chance to get him.

The Rams will be a crucial team in the draft, though, even if they don’t get the No. 1 pick. They are locked in for a top-three pick, and with Barkley taking himself out of the running, the Rams will still have an attractive pick for a team that wants the second-best quarterback in the draft, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III (who has yet to declare for the draft). If a team wants one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, it will likely have to go through St. Louis to get it.

Minnesota is a bit of a Wild Card in the process. The Vikings just used the No. 12 overall pick on Christian Ponder in last April’s draft, but some believe the Vikings would still draft Luck and try to trade Ponder. But the Vikings likely won’t be in the market for Griffin, and could be a trading partner at the second or third pick.

The moral of the story? Dolphins fans can forget about Saturday’s at New England. The far more important games are St. Louis-Pittsburgh and Washington-Minnesota. And next weekend, root your hearts out for the Colts.

A look at the current draft order and the Dolphins’ top competition for the quarterbacks:

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-13)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .547
Remaining Opponents: at Jacksonville
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .286
Outlook: Dolphins fans have never rooted for another team to win like they will next Sunday for the Colts to beat the Jaguars.

2. St. Louis Rams (2-12)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .566
Remaining Opponents: at Pittsburgh, San Francisco
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .750
Outlook: One thing is certain – the Rams will lose their remaining two games and finish with a top-3 pick. And wherever they pick, they will be an optimal trading partner for a team wanting to draft RG3 or perhaps Luck, if the Rams can sneak into the top spot.

3. Minnesota Vikings (2-12)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .587
Remaining Opponents: at Washington, Chicago
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .429
Outlook: The Vikes have lost six straight and appear to be a lock for a top-3 spot, but there’s a remote chance that they could win one or both of their final two games against very average opponents. Like the Rams, the Vikings don’t need a QB and could trade out of their pick to a team that needs one.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-10)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .495
Remaining Opponents: at Baltimore, Pittsburgh
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .714
Outlook: The Browns blew an early 10-0 lead to lose to Arizona on Sunday, but they could be the big winners in the draft derby. Already picking fourth, they could sneak into the top three if they lose their final two games of the season (which looks likely) and the Vikings win out. Cleveland likely will be in the market for a QB and may not even have to trade up to land one.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .528
Remaining Opponents: at Tennessee, Indianapolis
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .286
Outlook: Dolphins fans need to bust out their voodoo dolls and put a curse on the Jags over the final two weeks, because it’s definitely in their best interest to have the Jaguars lose out. If they can lose to Indianapolis in Week 17 and pry the Colts out of that No. 1 spot, Dolphins fans better send a thank you card to Blaine Gabbert and interim coach Mel Tucker. And if the Jags pick ahead of the Dolphins in the draft, they don’t have to worry about them drafting a QB this year.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .551
Remaining Opponents: at Carolina, at Atlanta
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .500
Outlook: The Bucs have lost eight in a row and have jumped up eight draft spots in the last three weeks alone. They likely won’t draft a QB with Josh Freeman entering his fourth year, but they’ll likely stay ahead of the Dolphins in the draft order once they lose their final two games of the season. And the Bucs, while they don’t need a QB, are another team that could potentially trade their pick to a team that does.

7. Miami Dolphins (5-9)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .492
Remaining Opponents: at New England, New York Jets
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .679
Outlook: The Dolphins currently pick ahead of Washington, which is crucial because the Redskins will definitely be in the market for a quarterback in the draft. However, the Dolphins’ closing schedule is much tougher than the Redskins’, and they ultimately will lose the strength of schedule tiebreaker to Washington, if it comes down to that. Regardless, the Dolphins will still probably need to trade up to one of the top-4 spots if they want to ensure that they get one of the top QB prospects.

8. Washington Redskins (5-9)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .495
Remaining Opponents: Minnesota, at Philadelphia
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .286
Outlook: The Redskins likely have at least one more win in them, which is good news for the Dolphins. But the Skins are known for making bold moves, so don’t be surprised if owner Dan Snyder is aggressive in moving up in the draft to draft Luck or RG3. To block such a move, the Dolphins must also try to trade up.

9. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .500
Remaining Opponents: Tampa Bay, at New Orleans
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .536
Outlook: The Panthers have the higher pick over Buffalo because of their 2-8 conference record. Their surprising win dropped them down nine spots, and they likely have another win coming this weekend in Tampa Bay. The Panthers obviously won’t be drafting a QB, but could be a trading partner for Miami if they finish higher that the Dolphins.

10. Buffalo Bills (5-9)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .500
Remaining Opponents: Denver, at New England
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .679
Outlook: The Bills will be running neck and neck with the Dolphins for the final two games (remember, head-to-head results don’t factor into draft order). Both teams will be underdogs in the final two games – Buffalo has little chance in their remaining games, while the Dolphins could maybe knock off the Jets – and Miami currently has the slight edge in opponents’ winning percentage. But the Bills have said they won’t be searching for a quarterback in the draft, so it won’t hurt the Dolphins to be picking behind the Bills.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .505
Remaining Opponents: at Dallas, Washington
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .464
Outlook: Fly, Eagles, Fly, further down the draft order. They’ve won two in a row to drop out of the top 10, and have at least one, if not two more wins left this year. Don’t be shocked if the Eagles draft a young QB to eventually replace Michael Vick – remember that they drafted Kevin Kolb several years before they were ready to turn the team over to him – but they’ll definitely be drafting behind the Dolphins, and I’d be shocked if they make a big play to trade up and get one of the top guys.

12. Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)
Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .513
Remaining Opponents: Oakland, at Denver
Remaining Opponents’ Winning Percentage: .536
Outlook: The Chiefs are a team I expect to be in the quarterback derby, and Sunday’s win over Green Bay put some crucial distance between them and the Dolphins in the draft order. With Kyle Orton playing again, perhaps the Chiefs can win another game to slide further down the board. But the Dolphins must be wary of the Chiefs trading up to get one of the top QBs.